Gordon Hirabayashi Anti-Racism Project
In collaboration with multiple campus and community partners, the PTJC has developed the Gordon Hirabayashi Anti-Racism Project. This collaboration aims to showcase the work and leadership of former U of A Professor and champion of human rights Gordon Hirabayashi and to challenge systemic racism, advance social betterment, and build a community-engaged research partnership for weaving together diverse perspectives and collaboratively redressing social injustices.
Project partners include: the Edmonton Japanese Community Association (EJCA); the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC); the John Humphreys Centre for Peace and Human Rights; the Consulate General of Japan in Calgary; Faculty of Arts: Departments of Drama and Sociology; Faculty of Education; Office of the Vice-Provost: Accessibility, Community and Belonging; Kule Institute for Advanced Studies, and U of A researchers and staff.
The Project has delivered:
- live performances and video screenings of the play Hold These Truths across Alberta (Jeanne Sakata, Playwright; Melanie Dreyer-Lude, Director; Kevin Takahide-Lee, Actor). Performed live at the U of A in May 2022. Video recording screened for audiences in Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge in December 2023
- the Directory of Japanese Canadian Resources for the Alberta K-12 curriculum, Dr. Olenka Bilash, U of A Professor Emeritus, Principle Investigator
- Principles of Resistance: The Gordon Hirabayashi Story (Guerilla Motion Pictures, 2024), a 20-minute documentary video
- creation and co-organization of the Gordon Hirabayashi Annual Lecture
- over $12,000 in donations for the Gordon Hirabayashi Graduate Scholarship Endowment
- co-hosting of the National Association of Japanese Canadians’ 2024 Annual Conference at the University of Alberta